10 Habits That Will Help You Take Your Executive Assistant Career to the Next Level

Many people find growth in their jobs incredibly important. To propel your career as an executive assistant to the next level, you’ll need to cultivate and foster some essential skills. The key to accomplishing anything exemplary as an individual ultimately begins with determination. With this in mind, find what drives you, and allow that catalyst to serve as your motivation while you develop the following skills.

Best Habits for Executive Assistant Jobs

1. Creative Problem Solving

Executive assistant duties often range across a spectrum of responsibilities. Given the various tools and software that EAs are expected to use, it can be difficult to master it all. Executive assistants will run into obstacles when working. This is why being a creative problem solver is essential as an executive assistant.

2. Resourcefulness

Executive assistants must be resourceful. In terms of problem-solving, get creative with all of the resources that are available at your fingertips including team members and mentors. There are a variety of tools that executive assistants can use to overcome obstacles. So, be resourceful!

3. Etiquette Intelligence

Executive assistants are responsible for many tasks and duties that their executive simply may not have time for. This requires effective and efficient communication between the executive and their assistant. Whether you’re communicating with an executive or a team member, remember that professional etiquette is integral to your position. Always be professional, no matter where or how you’re communicating or completing tasks. 

4. Managing Emotions

Knowing how to properly manage your emotions is an important skill to master not only as an executive assistant but as a human being. Managing emotions can prove to be difficult given the hectic nature of most people’s day-to-day lives. So, be proactive! Find what works for you when it comes to managing your emotions, alleviating stress, and getting yourself into the right mindset. 

5. Being Proactive

Executive assistant jobs often come with responsibilities that must be carefully organized into tasks. But sometimes things don’t work out as we planned. This is where being proactive can help. By being proactive, one can stay ahead of their deadline and accomplish more work. Ultimately, this comes down to being driven enough to get your work done and provide quality results. Find what motivates you and be proactive!

6. Multitasking

Multitasking is typically part of an executive assistant’s job description. Executive assistants have to juggle so many different tasks daily. This is why being able to multitask and properly manage your work is so crucial to success. There are many ways to multitask and garner good results, as there are many inefficient ways to multitask and get bad results. Be sure that no matter how you multitask, you keep your workflow organized!

7. Getting Organized

Being organized is key to managing stress, being proactive, and multitasking efficiently. By organizing your workload, you can better determine which assignments need to be completed when and how much extra work you can take on as the week moves along.

8. Effective Communication

Executive assistant jobs require effective communication. Whether you work solely with your boss or with a team, you must be able to communicate efficiently and effectively. Be sure that you are comfortable with your means of communication and always maintain a sense of professionalism. 

9. Big Picture Thinking

No one likes closed-minded individuals. Always look at the bigger picture. Look beyond your workload and get creative with ways in which you can be efficient and effective. This will serve you well in accomplishing your work in the long run. 

10. Taking Constructive Criticism

Being able to take constructive criticism is essential to success. Sometimes, miscommunication occurs and can cause the results of your work to fall flat. Or, something you’ve completed may not be up to your boss’ or your team’s standards. In order to improve as an EA and a human being, you must be able to appreciate and build off of constructive criticism. 

Executive Assistant Duties and Growth

The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) works diligently to provide the insight necessary for professionals to take their careers to the next level. To learn more about gaining a better footing in your position, check out ASAP’s insights on taking control of your career.